iGEM Bonn

Programmable protein ligation on cell surfaces - Nature A synthetic biology system called SMART has been developed that uses conditional protein splicing for the programmable ligation of functional proteins from previously defined molecular combinations on...

Conditional protein splicing using caged inteins can be a way to introduce Boolean logic gates into biological systems. Here a system was established that works as an AND-gated input-to-output actuator.

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

#iGEM2026#SynBio#biochemistry

Congratulations to iGEM McGill and iGEM Brno for winning the undergraduate and overgraduate Grand Prize respectively.🏆

Looking forward to joining you at the Grand Jamboree next year!

#iGEM2026

Frontiers | Advances and trends in microbial production of polyhydroxyalkanoates and their building blocks With the rapid development of synthetic biology, a variety of biopolymers can be obtained by recombinant microorganisms. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) is one o...

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a class of biopolymers characterized by biodegradability and biocompatibility. Interestingly they can be synthesized by engineered bacteria like Pseudomonas and E. coli.🦠
Learn more about this biopolymer in this review!

doi.org/10.3389/fbio...

#iGEM2026#SynBio

Engineered geminivirus replicons enable rapid in planta directed evolution Directed evolution can rapidly generate genetic variants with new and enhanced properties, yet efficient platforms for performing such evolution directly in plant cells have been lacking. We developed...

GRAPE is a new platform for in planta directed evolution. For this, it uses geminivirus rolling circle replication achieving high-throughput selection for desired gene activities.🌱

doi.org/10.1126/scie...

#iGEM2026#SynBio#directedevolution

Pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of endometriosis Endometriosis affects approximately 190 million women and people assigned female at birth worldwide. It is a chronic, inflammatory, gynecologic disease marked by the presence of endometrial-like tissu...

Endometriosis affects 190 million women and people assigned female at birth. It is characterized by painful symptoms and increases the risk of infertility. One theory of its etiology is retrograde menstruation, the retrograde flow of endometrial cells.

doi.org/10.1136/bmj-...

#iGEM2026#medicine

Due to climate change, plants increasingly face abiotic stresses such as heat and drought. Genetically engineering plants to be more resilient (smart crops) could help mitigate this agricultural burden.🌱

doi.org/10.1016/j.je...

#iGEM2026#SynBio#plantsciences#climatechange

pHAST (pH-Driven Aptamer Switch for Thrombin) Catch-and-Release of Target Protein A pH-driven DNA nanomachine based on the human α-thrombin binding aptamer was designed for the specific catch-and-release of human α-thrombin at neutral and acidic pH, respectively. In neutral conditi...

As per a previous post, ultrasound can be used to release thrombin from aptamers. The same effect can be achieved by pH-change. This catch-and-release system termed pHAST is further described here:

dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs....

#iGEM2026#SynBio#biochemistry

Ferroptosis is an iron-driven form of cell death. It is of particular interest in targeting colon cancer. The interplay between gut microbiota and ferroptosis was reviewed here:

doi.org/10.1016/j.tc...

#iGEM2026#cancer

Ultrasonic Control of Protein Splicing by Split Inteins Utilizing ultrasound as an external stimulus to remotely modulate the activity of proteins is an important aspect of sonopharmacology and establishes the basis for the emerging field of sonogenetics. ...

Sonogenetics is an emerging field, which aims to control cell functions via acoustic waves.
Here it was shown that protein function could be controlled by applying ultrasound. To achieve this, autocatalytic protein splicing was used.

doi.org/10.1021/jacs...

#iGEM2026#SynBio#biochemistry

🌱Pentatricopeptide Repeat Proteins (PPR) are modular RNA-binding proteins. They are involved in regulating the expression of transcripts in chloroplasts and mitochondria. Synthetic PPR can be used for target-specific RNA-editing and splicing.

doi.org/10.1093/pcp/...

#iGEM2026#SynBio#plantsciences

Design and degradation of permanently porous vitamin C and zinc-based metal-organic framework - Communications Chemistry Metal–organic frameworks have demonstrated great potential as drug delivery systems, but the biocompatibility of the MOF components is often overlooked. Here, a vitamin C and zinc-based MOF with permanent microporosity is designed, and successful loading and release of model drug urea from the MOF pores, as well as degradation of the framework, are demonstrated.

🏆This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOF). Among abilities like capturing gases (e.g. carbon dioxide), MOFs could pose for biological applications.
Their interplay with biology can be seen here:
doi.org/10.1038/s420...

#NobelPrize

The microbial landscape of colorectal cancer - Nature Reviews Microbiology In this Review, White and Sears examine recent evidence showing the link between the gut microbiota and colorectal cancer (CRC) and discuss the roles and mechanisms of specific microorganisms as well as of complex microbial communities in the pathogenesis of CRC.

The gut microbiome is substantially remodelled in colorectal cancer (CRC). Several microorganisms, as seen in this review, are of particular interest.🦠

In the future, synthetic biology can be a useful tool in CRC therapy and diagnostics!

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

#iGEM2026#SynBio#cancer

Plum pox virus: An overview of the potyvirus behind sharka, a harmful stone fruit disease Plum pox virus is a member of the genus Potyvirus in the family Potyviridae. The significance of this virus is underscored by its large strain diversity, wide host range, broad geographical distribut...

Topic of this week's team discussion: Plum pox virus

Did you know that sharka is the most serious viral disease for the stone fruit industry accounting for €2.4 billion in damage in the last 28 years?🍒🍑

Learn more in this review!
doi.org/10.1111/aab....

#iGEM2026#SynBio#plantsciences#virology

Website of iGEM team Bonn 2026. Source: https://www.igem-bonn.org/team-2026/

🚀 Exciting news: our next @igemhq.bsky.social team is growing! We are thrilled to host the 2025/26 team in Bonn 🌱🧬

Meet them here: www.igem-bonn.org/team-2026/ and follow their journey @igembonn.bsky.social

#iGEM2026 #SynBio @igemcommunity.bsky.social @bpucker.bsky.social

We are building a new Team to participate in the 2026 iGEM Jamboree. Join us on our research journey to make our scientific vision a reality!